The network used to make episodes available on CWTV.com about a week after original episodes aired, but found that the show was being watched much more on the Web site than on television, perhaps because the show’s audience is younger and more likely to watch episodes on the Web. When Gossip Girl returns on Monday after being on hiatus due to the W.G.A. strike, viewers will only be able to catch the series at its scheduled time or by downloading it from iTunes.

A spokesperson deemed the counterintuitive decision an "experimental" move to try to test if the online streams are consuming potential TV audiences. Or perhaps to try and test our patience.